It’s the Friday before Halloween. Many, many movies at your fingertips. If you are (or have) a kid, you may like Antonio Banderas’ inimitable Puss in Boots (which is a pretty adorable Shrek spinoff). BTW – does anyone else wonder if the Shrek people are bummed out about the ubiquitous Mucinex commercials with those um, characters who kind of resemble Shrek? Just curious. Anyway, this kitty is a popular favorite so I’m expecting him to do very nicely indeed at the box office this weekend.

Meanwhile Johnny Depp’s got a brand new movie in theaters – it’s called The Rum Diary and its one of those Hunter S. Thompson binge-based tales of excess in exotic locales. Depp stars alongside Giovanni Ribisi, Amber Heard, and Aaron Eckhardt and it should be a fun (if vice-ridden) adventure. Plus, unless I discover that there are severed body parts or injured animals beforehand, I’ll always go see any Johnny Depp movie.

For Justin Timberlake fans we have In Time – also starring Amanda Seyfried and Cillian Murphy. In this, everyone lives in a post-apocalyptic world where you’re genetically engineered to stop aging at 25 – unless you can stop a certain clock. (The premise is more complicated than that but that predicament still doesn’t sound too bad to me). Need proof of just how appealing that realm can be? Simply check out ourMovie Stars Under 25 category. Just saying.

Also in theaters then there’s an indie-rom-com called Like Crazy that stars Anton Yelchin and Jennifer Lawrence. In this tale of hipster love gone wrong, a young couple must contend with their mad, passionate bond when immigration forces one of them back to a foreign land – thus putting some serious international strain on the magic. They say it was largely improvised – which I’m not sure should be admitted ’til after it’s a hit. Although I’m a sucker for this type of thing so I’m hoping it’s as appealing as its trailer.

Why they made Anonymous is beyond me – because I was just fine thinking that Shakespeare was one man. And if he was a combination of dudes, that’d be okay by me too. I saw the trailer for this film and it looked confusing and even a little scary (because you can’t cast doubt upon someone’s identity six-hundred years ago without some action sequences and a lot of mist). So maybe I’ll see what everyone thinks first. Not optimistic though.

Of course, if you wanna be scared this pre-Halloween weekend, there’s always Paranormal Activity 3. Plus, even if you don’t see it now, it’ll still be in theaters next weekend and the one following; after their huge opening they’re so drunk with $52 million worth of scare-power they won’t rest until everyone gets a chance to be violently startled by something that isn’t there. Or is it?

Johnny Depp plays Thompson so well because he lived with him for 6 months prior to filming fear and loathing, studying and copying his every move. I am a big Thompson fan, but was disappointed with The Rum Diaries. It wasn’t even close to the level of Gonzo of Fear And Loathing in Las Vegas. I feel like Depp did Rum Diaries halfheartedly. Just didn’t have the right vibe entirely.

I knew Hunter Thompson in the late-fifties and all the sixties through 1968. Mostly in Aspen. Mostly from across the room at the same parties. Johnny Depp IS Thompson. A bit more comical, a good share more loveable, and thank God,less rude, foul mouthed, egotistical and cruel.

I have seen every film Depp has done, and will continue to do so till I am dead. I have personally witnessed his many on-set kindnesses to extras, visiting fans,and the ever-present crews. I think he does Hunter Thompson so well because he has an inborn compassion he cannot escape.

The problem here is, I want to see all of them. I was especially excited about Anonymous, but the premise of In Time looks new and thrilling. I’m a huge Johnny Depp fan, but I’m not sure about The Rum Diary.